Free Tourist Trapped by K. J. Klemme

to see if she knows anything more,” Chad said.
    “You have her phone number?”
    “Of course. If we’re going to find them, we need to collect as much information as we can. I have your parents’ phone numbers and email addresses and the contact information for Rebecca and Trent.”
    “Did you try calling them?”
    “Before we left your parents’ house and every few hours since.”
    She sized him up while munching on a tortilla chip. “Cooper, you might be more help than just assisting with the caseload.”
    “Amanda, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
    * * *
    In all of her time in Cancun, Amanda had never before stepped into the police station. She and Cooper alit from the taxi near Plaza Kukulcan and entered the nondescript building. It bustled with men and women dressed in dark blue uniforms. She expected to find answers here, a reasonable explanation for the disappearance.
    They waited on wooden chairs lined against the wall. Officers came and went. She reviewed her notes; not much to go on, so far. She regarded Cooper. Although still sporting obsolete eyeglass frames and a bad haircut, his appearance had improved. In a royal blue shirt and white shorts, even a nerd could pass for normal.
    “Señora Sloane and Señor Cooper?” An officer called from a doorway. “Please come with me.”
    They entered a large room, a sea of desks. He ushered them over to one in the middle. A handsome, swarthy officer stood and motioned them to sit. “I’m Lieutenant Rodriguez, assigned to the case. Can I ask your relationship to Rebecca and Trent Adams?”
    “I’m Rebecca’s sister. Chad is a coworker who has agreed to help. Do you have any leads—have you found anything that might explain where Rebecca and Trent could be?” Amanda noticed Cooper had already written down the policeman’s full name and badge number.
    The officer opened a thin manila folder. “We don’t have much to go on. A Miriam Sloane called our office on Monday, December seventh, and informed us that Trent and Rebecca Adams had gone on a ‘surprise’ excursion the previous day and could not be reached since. It also looked like they hadn’t been in their room overnight.”
    “Did anyone at the resort give you more information—possibly on what the surprise was?” Cooper said.
    “No, the couple didn’t book any trips through the hotel’s tour agencies.”
    “Have you received pictures of the Adams couple from the Sloanes?” Cooper said.
    “No.”
    Cooper pulled a handful of photos from his backpack. “Here are pictures of Trent and Rebecca. Can you make copies and return the originals?”
    “Very good, I’ll be right back.” The officer took the photos to a desk on the edge of the room.
    Amanda wished she was nimble enough to kick herself in the ass. “Good thinking. Did Miriam give you those yesterday?”
    “Yes, she offered me a few different pictures to choose from.”
    Cooper picked up a frame that sat on the officer’s desk and showed it to Amanda. It looked to be a family photo taken at the bottom of a cenote. In the background, kids climbed a rock wall to jump into the natural pool. A stunning woman and two teenage boys posed with Rodriguez in the foreground.
    The officer returned and handed the pictures to Cooper. “We scanned them into the system.”
    “Nice looking family,” Cooper said, replacing the photo.
    The lieutenant beamed. “Gracias.”
    “Based on receipts and photos, Rebecca and Trent sailed to Isla Mujeres,” Amanda said. “You might want to investigate. They took the Sea Passion catamaran to the island.”
    The lieutenant made a note in the file. “Muy bien. I’ll send an officer to check it out.”
    “They also visited discos around The Forum, as well as Señor Frog’s and Carlos ‘n Charlie’s,” Amanda said.
    “The standard stops. Very good.”
    “How big is the contingent working the case?” Amanda said.
    “I’m the lead and have two officers investigating.”
    She realized, after